Kupus na Balkanu ima posebnu zimsku obradu. Posoljene glavi- ce svežeg kupusa ređaju se u bu- re i puštaju da odstoje i puste svoj sok. Kad kupus ožedni, dodajemo mu vodu i da bi se što bolje napio te vode, poklapamo ga nečim tvrdim, na primer kamenom, i ostavljamo da se tokom jeseni ušuškava i kiseli u tom svom buretu. Proces je tu va- žan, kao i vreme, ali i naše iščekiva- nje te nezamenljive zimske salate. Posle burne noći u Srbiji ništa tako lepo ne poželi dobar dan kao čaša hladnog rasola. A onda smo spre- mni i za sarmu. Sarma je kraljica srpske zimske tr- peze. Listove kupusa koje smo uki- selili sad koristimo da urolamo sa mlevenim mesom i pirinčem. Pra- vu zimsku bajku priča lonac u kojem se sarma dugo kuva i krčka, spa- jaju ukusi i preklapaju mirisi, vođe- ni dimljenim suvim mesom. Sarma ima i svoju posnu, vegetarijansku varijantu, gde umesto mesa idu se- menke suncokreta. Iskusna kuvari- ca zgotoviće je tako da se razlika u ukusu gotovo i ne oseti. Naziv jednog od omiljenih jela na srpskim trpezama vezan je za reč sarmak, što u prevodu znači zaviti, umotati. Japrak sarma je u turskom kulinarskom nasleđu neki sadržaj, najčešće pirinač sa dodacima dru- gog povrća, ređe pirinač sa me- som ili samo meso umotano u list vinove loze. Kod nas je od tog tur- skog uticaja ostalo ime i činjenica da određeni sadržaj uvijamo u list, ali u domaćem slučaju u pitanju je list kiselog kupusa, koji nam dolazi iz centralne Evrope. Kao što je dobro poznato, srpska sarma je najbolja ako se sprema od mešanog mlevenog mesa, koje do- minira nad drugim sastojkom fila – pirinčem. Mi koristimo svinjetinu u sarmi da bi dobila karakteristi- čan ukus, dodajemo suvo meso, slaninu, ponekad i zapršku. Sarma postaje traženo jelo tek u 19. ve - ku, kada je Srbija započela proces oslobađanja i kada je krenula mi- gracija seoskog stanovništva u gra- dove. To je vreme u kojem je kreira- na srpska sarma kakvu i danas rado jedemo.
Kiseli kuvani kupus s kolenicom najbolje se slaže sa najobičnijom seljačkom projom Boiled pickled cabbage with pork knuckle goes best with regular “peasant” cornbread
Cabbage receives a special winter tre- atment in the Balkans. Salted heads of fresh cabbage are placed in a barrel and allowed to stand and release their juices. Then, when the cabbage starts to dry, we add water and ensure the cabbage absorbs as much as possible by placing something heavy and hard on top, su- ch as a stone, before leaving it to settle and pickle in its barrel during the au- tumn. Here the process is important, as is time, but also our anticipation of that irreplaceable winter salad. Following a boisterous night out in Serbia, nothing makes for a good day like a glass of cold cabbage brine. And then we’re also re- ady for sarma cabbage rolls. Sarma is the queen of Serbia’s win- ter spread. We use the cabbage leaves that we’ve pickled to make rolls filled wi- th minced meat and rice. A true winter fairy tale is told by the pot in which sar- ma rolls slowly cook and simmer for a long time, combining flavours and over- lapping aromas, guided by smoked me- at. It also has its own vegetarian version, in which the meat is replaced with sun- flower seeds. An experienced cook wi- ll prepare it in such a way that you can hardly tell any difference in taste.
The name of this beloved dish on the Serbian spread is derived from the word “sarmak”, which translates as wrap or swaddle. Yaprak sarma, which is inclu- ded in Turkish culinary heritage, replaces the cabbage with vine leaves stuffed with some ingredients, most common- ly rice and added other vegetables, and less commonly rice and meat, or just meat. All that remains of that Turkish in- fluence in our country is the name and the fact that certain ingredients are wra- pped in a leaf, though in our case the le- af in question is from pickled cabbage, which came to our country from the sa- uerkraut of Central Europe. A well-known fact is that Serbian sar- ma is best prepared from mixed minced meat, which dominates the other ingre- dient of the filling, i.e., rice. We use pork for sarma to gain its characteristic ta- ste, while we also add dried meat, ba- con, and sometimes a roux thickener. Sarma became a popular dish in the 19 th century, when Serbia began the proce- ss of liberating itself from Ottoman ru- le and the rural population began migra- ting to the cities. It was during this time that sarma as we know and enjoy it to- day was created.
Tastes of Serbia » Ukusi Srbije | 89
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